The cushion pictured above sits pride of place in the Coo-ee March Gallery in Gilgandra. Curator Shirley Marks told its remarkable story as part of recent ABC Open Object Stories workshops run with the Gilgandra Historical Society.

Cigarette companies of the early 20th century printed series of collectable cards, to encourage brand loyalty. Sometimes these were printed or embroidered onto fabrics known as 'silks'.

While stationed at the battlefields of France during WWI, Lance Corporal Laurie Maguire sent his cigarette silks home to the family farm near Curban. His cousin lovingly sewed them together to create the cushion.

Sadly Laurie Maguire never made it home to see the cushion, as he was killed in action in Albert in France on 2 April 1918 aged 28 years.

Find out more about the cushion and Laurie's story in the video above, made by Shirley Marks with the assistance of ABC Open Producer Ana Tovey.